Tracker-board for musical instruments.



c. MAEETEN, JB. -I TRACKER BOARD EOE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.13. 1908.

PATENTED JUN-E 9', 1908.

5a. mae.

`diameter to the internal CHRISTIAN MAERTEN, JR, OF NORTH TONAWANDA., NEW YORK.

TRACKER-BOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented runes, isos.

Application filed February 13, 1908. Serial Ilo. 415,636.

T 0 all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN MAERTEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lracker-Boards for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tracker-boards for mechanical musical instruments of that type in which thespeaking or sound producing devices are .operated by a pneumatic action or mechanism controlled by a perforated note sheet which travels over the trackerboard for opening and closing the air ducts or passages therein. Some of these instruments have a largenumber of speaking devices, and, as there must be a correspondingly large number of ducts in the trackerboard, it is desirable to have the ends of the ducts which register with perforations of the music sheet, and which are arranged in a single row, close together in order topermit of the use of a relatively narrow note sheet. A narrow note sheet is preferable to a wide one, because, among other reasons, it is easier to properly guide it and insure a perfect reg1stration of its perforations with the ducts of the tracker, and a narrow sheet is less liable to be injured or changedL by expansion and contraction, and less room is also required in the instrument for it and its operating mechanism. The opposite ends oi' the tracker ducts should, however, be spaced far.

enough apart to afford ample room for the connection therewith of the tubes leading to the neumatic devices, and these tube ends of rt ie ducts are preferably about equal in diameter of the tubes, or much larger than the other ends thereof, to afford as free a assage as possible for the air. It is there ore customary to form the large portions of the ducts in several rOWs'aIId in staggered relation to cach other. The ducts, Whose large ends are not in line with the small ends thereof, must therefore have intermediate portions which extend more or less crosswise of the. trackerboard, or at an angle to their end portions. A wooden tracker-board is desirable, because of the greater facility with which it can be made, but if the passages cross the grain of the Wood and are located close together the air is apt to leakl from one passage to another through the pores oi the wood tc such an eX- with the operaother oi the ducts through the pores of the wood. To this end,` the tracker-board is composed of separate upper, lower andintermediate sections or pieces iirmly glued together. The upper section hasa row or line of small holes through it for registration with the peidorations of the note sheet, the lower section has larger holes through `it arranged in different rows or in dilerent planes to ai ford the necessary room for att-aching the air tubes, and the intermediate section has holes through it arranged in rows and extending in the necessary directions to connect the large holes of the lower section with the small holes of the up per section to form continuous air ducts through the tracker-board. The intermediate section of the tracker-board consists of separate strips of wood glued together through each of which strips one of the rows of holes of the intermediate section passes, and these strips are made and ranged so that the grain of the wood in each |piece extends as nearly parallel as practicable' with the holes therein.

In this speciiication the terms "uppery and lower as applied to the tracker-board and 'the ends of the air ducts are used for convenience in description, but the trackerboard can be arranged in other than an upright position, and the term upper is to be understood to refer to the ends of the ducts and the portion of the tracker-board. neXtto the note sheet, and the term lower to the opposite ends of the ducts and the corresponding portion of the tracker-board.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a transverse sectional perspective view et a tracker-board embodying the invention, the section being taken in the oblique line --1, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a transverse secticn thereof, on an enlarged scale, inline 2 ceases Fig. 3 is a plan view thereot..l Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof. gig. 5 is a horizontal section thereof, in linef-f), Fig. Like letters` of reference relier to like parts in the several figures.

A represents the upper section oli the tracker-board through which extend small holes e arranged in the same line or row and and lower sections is an intermediate section .C preferably consisting ot three -inner strips or piecesy l, 2 and 3 provided with rows oi" holes c c c2, respectively, and opposite outer or face-pieces i and 5 between which the three inner pieces are conlined. There is ai hole in. the upper section for each hole in the lower section, and each row of holes in the intermediate section is arranged to`eonuect rone row of holes in the lower section with corresponding holes inthe upper sectiom Eaelefjcthe inner strips l, 2 and f3 et thel intermediairs section contains one row ol holes, and therieces are made and arranged, as most clearly shown in Fig 2, so that Vthe grain of each strip runs substantially parallel width-the holes therein. rlhus the grain runs crosswise'ei ,the length ol these strips, the grain in the middle piece 2 running 'sub-- stantially straight up `and down, while the grain of the pieces i and 3 extends atan inclination correspondingto the inclination of the holes c c2. The tracker-board shown in the drawings has three rows olE holes in the vlower section and consequently there are three rows ot holes and three inner strips'l,

2 and 3 inthe intermediate section, but the invention is not restricted to this particular' number' of rows. rlhe intermediate section should, however, to produce the best results, have the same number of rows of holes as the lower section, each row of holes heling lormed in a separatel piece with the `grain running )arallel with the holes, as then the holes can e located very closely together without u 5 danger ot the air leaking through the wood vfrom ,one hole to another. T he strips composing the intermediate section are preferably glued together' before the holes are bored, and the outeror Aface-strips 4. and 5, in which the grain runs lengthwise, serve to strengthen the intermediate section and prevent the same from splitting in thc manufacture and use of the traclnr-board. These face Vieccs 4 and 5 with the grain ruiming lengt iwise thereof also insure better glue ljoints between the intermediate and upper and lower sections and give a better and more ilnished appearance to the trackerboard. While the :facing strips are preferably used, for the reasons stated, they are not absolutely essential and could be. omitted and the inner pieces l and 3 extended to the sides of the tracker-board. l l

l claim as my invention:

i, A tracker-board comprising upper and lower sections provided with holes, and an intermediate section connecting said upper and lower sections and composed ol' a ilurality ol" connected strips provided with holes registerin with the holes in thc upper and lower scctions to lorm continuous air ducts, the holes in each strip of said intermediate section extending in substantially the direction of the grain ot said strip, substantially as set forth.

A tracker-lmard comprising an intormediate section composed of a plurality ol Aconnected strips having the grain running crosswise thereof and each having holes therein extending substantially in the direction ol its grain, and sections connected to said intermediate section and lprovided with holes joining the opposite ends ol said holes ink the intermediate section to form continuous air ducts, substantially as sot forth.

section provided with a single row of holes, a lower section provided with a plurality of rows of holes, and an intermediate section connecting said upper and lower sections and composed of a plurality ol" connected strips ol wood each. provided. with a row of holes joining the holes of one row of the lower section with holes in. the upper section and cxtonding substantially in the direction of the grain ot said strip, substantially as set forth.

4. A tracker-board comprising upper, lower and intermediate connected sections, said upper section having a single row of holes, said lower section having three rows ol"v holes, and said intermediate section being composed ot thrce connected inner strips of wood Ywith the grain ruiming crosswise thereot and leach having a row oic holes substantially parallel with its grain and joining the holes oi one row oi the lower section with holes in the upper section, and outer or face `strips between which said. inner strips arc located, substantially as set lorth.

5. A tracker-board comprising connected sections with registering holes forming continuous air ducts, one ol" said sections comprising av plurality ,ol connected strips of wood having the grain thereof running crosswisc ol the. length ol the strips, the holes in said section extending substantially in thc direction ol the grain ol' tho strips in which they are located, substantially as set lorth.

Witness my hand, this (5th day ol llcbp ruary, 1908.

- (,l'llltlSfllAN MAlCllllCN, Jn.

lNitnesscs:

t). W. PARKER, C. il. lloaNnncK.

5. tracker-board comprising an upper- 

